By Pam Wright
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Despite setbacks, including a devastating explosion in the downtown, an ambitious plan to develop Wheatley is moving forward.
At a recent planning meeting, the draft plan of the Imagine Wheatley South Wheatley Secondary Plan was unveiled in a presentation by Amy Farkas, a senior planner with Dillon Consulting, the company retained to work on the proposal.
“South Wheatley has the potential to grow and develop,” Farkas told council in a presentation, adding the potential was recognized by the previous C-K council, leading to the launch of the Imagine Wheatley land use plan.
“The intent of the Imagine Wheatley project is to set a 20-plus year vision for the development of the area and to guide public and private investment,” Farkas said.
The Imagine plan includes significant environmental protections, Farkas said, as well the development of a commercial area, employment opportunities, public park space, all designed with an emphasis on good quality of life.
Extensive stakeholder engagement has gone into the Imagine Wheatley initiative, Farkas noted, including plenty of consultation with the Wheatley Recovery Task Force that was created in the aftermath of the August 2021 explosion.
The Imagine Wheatley secondary plan is bounded to the north and east by the western shoreline of the west branch of Two Creeks, to the west by Erie Street South, and to the south by Detroit Line.
West Kent Coun. Lauren Anderson said she is looking forward to the unfolding of the plan.
“When we have a town, our town, to see it struggling quite a bit, to see that you’re still predicting growth there, we have something really fantastic to look forward to,” Anderson said. “I think that will definitely lift the spirits of those of us who live in Wheatley and it’s something I’m definitely happy to support moving forward.”
A final version of the Imagine Wheatley plan will be presented at a future council meeting.
